Closure with flap for retaining a lid hinge shaft

ABSTRACT

A closure system is provided for a container. The system has a body for extending from the container at the container opening. The body defines a dispensing orifice. A lid is provided for covering the orifice. The body has a bearing member with a laterally outer wall and a laterally inner wall which together define a channel for receiving a pivot shaft on the lid. At least one flap is hingedly attached to one of the body bearing member lateral walls and is initially positioned to expose the channel to permit mounting the lid pivot shaft in the channel. The flap can be subsequently folded over the channel and lid pivot shaft, and the distal end of the flap can be attached to the other lateral wall to form a bridge which prevents removal of the lid pivot shaft from the channel. Another form of the invention includes the fully completed closure system after the flap has been folded over and attached. Another form of the invention includes the method for making the closure system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to closure system for a container. The invention is particularly suitable for incorporation in a dispensing closure for use with a squeezable container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART

There are a variety of types of conventional closures which function generally satisfactorily in applications for which they are designed. One type of prior art closure includes a body or base for being attached to the top of a container. The body defines a dispensing orifice. The system further includes a lid which is mounted on the base or body and which can be lifted up to open the dispensing orifice. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,487.

The U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,487 discloses the use of a closure having a lid hinge system in which the closure base or body includes a channel for snap-fit retention of a hinge pivot shaft projecting from the rear of the lid. While such a design offers significant advantages, it would be desirable to provide a further improved closure system.

In particular, it would be desirable to provide an improved design in which the lid hinge shaft could be even more securely held on the closure body.

It would also be beneficial if a closure system could readily accommodate molding of the closure body from a thermoplastic material.

It would also be advantageous if such an improved closure system could accommodate bottles, containers, or packages which have a variety of shapes and which are constructed from a variety of materials.

Further, it would be desirable if such an improved system could accommodate efficient, high-quality, high-speed, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate to produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with high reliability.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention can be incorporated into a closure system that may include one or more of the above-discussed, desired features.

The present invention provides an improved closure system for a container that has an opening to the container interior. The system can be readily operated by the user to open and close the system. One form of the invention includes a completed closure system, and another form of the invention comprises unassembled components that include an intermediate manufactured preform which can be subsequently deformed to create the completed closure system. The present invention also provides a method for making the closure system.

According to a first aspect of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, unassembled closure system components are provided, and these components include a lid and a preform body as an intermediate article of manufacture. The body is either a separate structure for attaching to, and extending from, the container at the container opening or is a unitary extension of the container at the opening. The body has

-   -   (1) at least one orifice for communicating with the container         opening,     -   (2) a bearing member comprising a laterally outer wall spaced         from a laterally inner wall which together define between them a         channel, and     -   (3) at least one flap hingedly attached to, and extending from,         one of the laterally inner and outer walls to expose the channel         which can be covered by folding the flap over the channel and         against the other of the laterally inner and outer walls.

The lid is adapted to be disposed on the body for accommodating lifting of the lid relative to the at least one orifice between (1) a closed position over the at least one orifice, and (2) an open position away from the at least one orifice. The lid includes a pivot shaft for being received in the channel prior to the flap being folded over the channel and attached to the other of the laterally inner and outer walls to prevent removal of the shaft from the channel.

According to another aspect of the invention, a completed closure system is provided for a container that has an opening to the container interior. The closure system includes a body that is either a separate structure for attaching to, and extending from, the container at the opening or is a unitary extension of the container at the opening. The body has

-   -   (1) at least one orifice for communicating with the container         opening,     -   (2) a bearing member comprising a laterally outer wall spaced         from a laterally inner wall which together define between them a         channel, and     -   (3) at least one flap that (a) extends from one of the laterally         inner and outer walls, (b) has been folded over the channel and         against the other of the laterally inner and outer walls,         and (c) has been attached to the other of the laterally inner         and outer walls.

A lid is disposed on the body for accommodating lifting of the lid relative to the at least one orifice between (1) a closed position over the at least one orifice, and (2) an open position away from the at least one orifice. The lid includes a pivot shaft received in the channel under the folded over flap that is attached to the other of the laterally inner and outer walls to prevent removal of the shaft from the channel.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for making a closure system for a container that has an opening to the container interior. The method comprises the steps of:

(A) molding from thermoplastic material a body that

-   -   (1) is either a separate structure for attaching to, and         extending from, the container at the opening or is a unitary         extension of the container at the opening,     -   (2) has at least one orifice for communicating with the         container opening, and     -   (3) has a bearing member comprising a laterally outer wall         spaced from a laterally inner wall which together define between         them a channel, and     -   (4) has at least one flap hingedly attached to, and extending         from, one of the laterally inner and outer walls to expose the         channel which can be covered by folding the flap over the         channel and against the other of the laterally inner and outer         walls;

(B) molding from thermoplastic material a lid which (1) has a pivot shaft, and (2) is adapted to be disposed on the body for accommodating lifting of the lid relative to the at least one orifice between (a) a closed position over the at least one orifice, and (b) an open position away from the at least one orifice;

(C) mounting the lid on the body in the closed position with the pivot shaft disposed in the channel; and

(D) folding the flap over the channel and attaching it to the other of the laterally inner and outer walls to prevent removal of the shaft from the channel.

Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings that form part of the specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a front, perspective view of an exemplary dispensing closure system in the form of a separate dispensing closure according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and the closure is shown in a closed configuration, before installation on a container, and from a vantage point generally above, or from the top of, the closure;

FIG. 1A is a rear, perspective view of the dispensing closure system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but FIG. 2 shows the lid in the open position with a tamper-evident feature having been broken;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 3-3 in FIG. 1, but FIG. 3 further shows the closure installed on the neck of a container and shows part of the lower tamper-evident band of the closure turned upwardly to engage a flange on the container neck;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 4-4 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows the closure prior to the closure being installed on the neck of the container, and FIG. 4 further shows the lower tamper-evident band in the as-molded, downwardly depending configuration prior to being turned up under the flange on the container neck;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but FIG. 5 shows the closure (1) prior to the lid anchor member being welded to the closure body, and (2) prior to the closure being installed on the neck of a container, and FIG. 5 further shows the lower tamper-evident band in the as-molded, downwardly depending configuration prior to being turned up under the flange on the container neck;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the closure body prior to the lid being initially mounted on the body by the manufacturer and prior to the completed closure being installed on the container;

FIG. 7 is a enlarged, cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 7-7 in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 shows the closure body prior to being installed on the neck of the container, and FIG. 7 further shows the lower tamper-evident band in the as-molded, downwardly depending configuration prior to being turned up under the flange on the container neck;

FIG. 7A is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the area within the circle designated FIG. 7A in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the closure lid prior to the lid being mounted on the closure body by the manufacturer;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the lid prior to the lid being mounted on the closure body by the manufacturer;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the closure lid prior to the lid being mounted on the closure body by the manufacturer;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the lid prior to the lid being mounted on the closure body by the manufacturer;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 12-12 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 13-13 in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 14 (on drawing sheet 9/12 with FIG. 7A) is a front, elevational view of the lid taken generally along the plane 14-14 in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only some specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments so described, however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

For ease of description, most of the figures illustrating the invention show a closure system in the typical orientation that it would have at the top of a container when the container is stored upright on its base, and terms such as upper, lower, horizontal, etc., are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that the dispensing closure system of this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold in an orientation other than the position described.

The closure system of this invention is suitable for use with a variety of conventional or special containers having various designs, the details of which, although not illustrated or described, would be apparent to those having skill in the art and an understanding of such containers. The container, per se, described herein forms no part of, and therefore is not intended to limit, the present invention. It will also be understood by those of ordinary skill that novel and non-obvious inventive aspects are embodied in the described exemplary closure systems alone.

A presently preferred embodiment of a closure system of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 et seq. and is designated generally therein by reference number 20 in FIG. 1. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the closure system 20 is provided in the form of a separate, dispensing type closure 20 which is adapted to be mounted or installed on a container 22 (FIG. 3) that would typically contain a fluent material. The container 22 includes body 24 and a neck 26 as shown in FIG. 3. The neck 26 defines an opening 28 to the container interior. The container neck 26, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, has an external, male thread 29 for engaging the closure 20.

The body 24 of the container 22 may have any suitable configuration, and the upwardly projecting neck 26 may have a different cross-sectional size and/or shape than the container body 24. Alternatively, the container 22 need not have a neck 26, per se. Instead, the container 22 may consist of just a body with an opening. The container 22 may have a rigid wall or walls, or may have a somewhat flexible wall or walls.

Although the container, per se, does not necessarily form a part of the broadest aspects of the present invention, per se, it will be appreciated that at least a body portion of the closure system 20 of the present invention optionally may be provided as a unitary portion, or extension, of the top of the container. However, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the closure system 20 is a separate assembly (e.g., a closure) of two pieces, and is adapted to be removably or non-removably installed on a previously manufactured container 22 that has an opening 28 to the container interior. Hereinafter, the closure system 20 will be more simply referred to as the closure 20.

The closure 20 is adapted to be used with a container 22 having an opening 28 to provide access to the container interior and to a product contained therein. The closure 20 can be used with many materials, including, but not limited to, relatively low or high viscosity liquids, creams, gels, suspensions, mixtures, lotions, pastes, particulates, granular materials, small pieces or items, etc. as constituting a food product, a personal care product, an industrial or household cleaning product, or other compositions of matter (e.g., compositions for use in activities involving manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture, etc.).

The container 22 with which the closure 20 may be used would typically be a squeezable container having a flexible wall or walls which can be grasped by the user and squeezed or compressed to increase the internal pressure within the container so as to force the product out of the container and through the opened closure. Such a flexible container wall typically has sufficient, inherent resiliency so that when the squeezing forces are removed, the container wall returns to its normal, unstressed shape. Such a squeezable wall container is preferred in many applications but may not be necessary or preferred in other applications. For example, in some applications it may be desirable to employ a generally rigid container, and to pressurize the container interior at selected times with a piston or other pressurizing system. Also, the interior of the container need not be pressurized at all. Instead, if the closure is large enough, the product could be accessed by reaching through the open closure with a hand, spoon or straw, or the package could be inverted to let the product discharge through the opened closure solely under the influence of gravity.

In other designs, a flexible, slit valve could be included in the closure for dispensing product when the lid is opened. Such a valve could open to accommodate dispensing of a fluid under the influence of a differential pressure acting across the valve (as may be created, for example, if suction (i.e., reduced pressure) is applied to the exterior of the valve, and/or if the pressure inside the container is increased).

It is presently contemplated that many applications employing the closure 20 will conveniently be realized by molding some or all of the components of the closure 20 from suitable thermoplastic material or materials. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the components of the closure could each be molded from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. The closure components may be separately molded from the same material or from different materials. The materials may have the same or different colors and textures.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, the closure system or closure 20 includes, two basic components, (1) a base or body 30, and (2) a lid 40 which is adapted to be carried on the body 30. The closure 20 may also include optional tamper-evident features as described in detail hereinafter. The optional, tamper-evident features do not form a necessary part of the present invention.

The lid 40 is pivotable between a closed position over the body 30 as shown in FIG. 1 and an open position as shown in FIG. 2. The lid 40 is manufactured (e.g., preferably molded from thermoplastic material) as a component which is initially completely separate from the closure body 30. The detailed structure of the presently preferred form of the lid 40 is described in detail hereinafter.

After the closure body 30 is initially molded, the lid 40 is assembled (as described in detail hereinafter), and a rear portion of the body 30 is deformed in order to establish a secure retention of the lid 40 to the body 30 in a way that accommodates the pivoting movement of the lid 40 while preventing removal of the lid 40 from the body 30. The structure of the closure body 30, prior to mounting of the lid 40 thereon and deforming of a rear portion of the body 30 to secure the lid 40 to the body 30, will next be described in detail.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the closure body 30, as initially molded, includes a spout 42 defining a dispensing orifice 44 which opens to the hollow interior of the closure body 30 and which therefore communicates with the opening 28 in the container neck 26 when the closure 20 is mounted on the container 22 as shown in FIG. 4. The interior of the spout 42 contains an apertured baffle structure 45 (FIGS. 3-7) for controlling the flow of the discharging fluid product. The baffle structure 45 may be omitted altogether, or other spout interior structures may be included (e.g., a discharge valve).

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, at the bottom of the spout 42, the closure body 30 has a peripheral upper deck 46. The peripheral upper deck 46 is defined at its outer edge by a generally vertical wall 48 as can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. Surrounding the lower edge of the vertical wall 48 is an intermediate deck 50. The intermediate deck 50 is defined at its outer edge by a generally vertical wall 52. At the bottom edge of the vertical wall 52 is a lower deck 54. The lower deck 54 defines an attachment surface and functions to accommodate a thermoplastic weld attachment of an optional, tamper-evident feature on the lid 40 as described in detail hereinafter.

As can be seen in FIGS. 6, 7, and 7A, the rear of the closure body 30 includes a receiving structure or bearing member comprising two, spaced-apart, lower portions or walls—a laterally outer wall 80A, and a laterally inner wall 80B spaced from the laterally outer wall 80A so as to define between them an upwardly open channel 82. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper, distal end portion of each lower wall 80 extends toward the other wall 80 over the channel 82 to define a reduced width passage 84 to the channel 82. The bottom of the channel 82 includes a narrower recess or groove 86.

As can be seen in FIG. 7A, the upper end of the laterally inner wall 80B defines a top surface 85 with an energy director 87 which projects from the top surface 85. The energy director 87 is tapered and becomes smaller in cross section with increasing distances from the top surface 85. The energy director 87 facilitates the preferred method of ultrasonically welding the portions of the body 30 as described in detail hereinafter.

A flap 88 extends laterally from the top end of the laterally outer wall 80A. A hinge 89 connects the flap 88 with the laterally outer wall 80A. The hinge 89 is defined by a reduced thickness of material and permits the flap 88 to be pivoted or folded over the channel 82 after the closure lid 40 has been mounted to the closure body 30 as described in detail hereinafter.

As used herein, the phrases “laterally inner wall” and “laterally outer wall” (e.g., walls 80A and 80B) refer to portions of material on either side of, and defining, the channel 82. Each wall 80A and 80B may actually be very thick, and merge into, or be part of, a larger surrounding structure of the closure body. The term “lateral” as employed herein is a relative term used with respect to the channel 82. Each wall 80A and 80B may actually also be in an upper portion of the closure body 30 as in the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In an alternate embodiment (not illustrated), the flap 88 could be hinged to the inner wall 80B, and the outer wall 80A could be provided with an energy director 87.

As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the closure body 30 has an annular skirt 90 extending downwardly form the upper portion of the closure body 30. The interior surface of the skirt 90 defines a female thread 92. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the closure body skirt thread 92 is adapted to threadingly engage the exterior, male thread 29 on the container neck 26.

Alternatively, the closure skirt 90 could be provided with some other container connecting means, such as a snap-fit bead or groove (not illustrated) in place of the thread 92 for engaging a container neck groove or bead (not illustrated), respectively. The closure body 30 could also be permanently attached to the container 22 by means of induction melting, ultrasonic melting, gluing, or the like, depending on materials used for the closure body 30 and container 22. The closure body 30 could also be formed as a unitary part, or extension, of the container 22.

The closure body skirt 90 may have any suitable configuration for accommodating an upwardly projecting neck 26 or other portion of the container 22 received within the particular configuration of the closure body 30, and the main part of the container 22 may have a different cross-sectional shape than the container neck 26 and closure body 30.

An optional seal or liner (not illustrated) may be sealed across the top of the container neck 26 or, alternatively, may be sealed across an interior region or underside of the upper portion of the closure body 30. However, if the function of a tamper-evident seal or freshness seal as provided by such a liner is not needed or desired in a particular application, then the liner may, of course, be omitted.

Also, if desired, the closure body 30 may be provided with an interior, annular seal 96 (FIGS. 6 and 7) extending downwardly from the underside of the upper portion of the closure body 30. Such a seal 96 could be “plug” profile seal, as illustrated, or a “crab's claw” seal, or some other such seal, depending upon the particular application and depending upon whether or not a liner is employed.

In the preferred form of the closure illustrated, the closure body skirt 90 has a generally annular configuration. However, the closure body skirt 90 may have other configurations. For example, the closure body skirt 90 might have a prism or polygon configuration adapted to be mounted to the top of a container neck having a polygon configuration. Such prism or polygon configurations would not accommodate the use of a threaded attachment, but other means of attachment could be provided, such as a snap-fit bead and groove arrangement, or the like. However, if the closure body included a double wall defining a polygon outer skirt and a cylindrical inner attachment wall, then the cylindrical inner attachment wall could be provided with a thread for engagement with a threaded container.

In one preferred form of the closure as shown in FIG. 5, the closure body 30 incorporates a conventional or special tamper-evident ring 100 along the bottom edge of the closure body skirt 90 for cooperation with a container 22 that has a retention flange 104 (FIG. 3) below the container neck thread 26. As shown in FIG. 5, the tamper-evident ring 100 is initially molded as a downwardly extending, unitary flange on the bottom of the closure body skirt 90. Prior to the installation of the closure body 30 on a container, such as on the container 22 illustrated in FIG. 3, the lower half of the tamper-evident ring 100 is deformed or bent radially inwardly and upwardly. Then, the closure body 30 is lowered onto the container neck 26 and threadingly rotated relative to the container neck 26. The upwardly bent tamper-evident ring 100 passes over the container neck thread 29 and over the container neck retention flange 104. The upwardly bent portion of the tamper-evident ring 100 snaps inwardly below the container neck retention flange 104 as shown in FIG. 3. This resists removal of the closure body 30 if a user attempts to rotate the closure body 30 in an unscrewing direction. However, the tamper-evident band or ring 100, in the preferred form, is connected to the bottom end of the closure body skirt 90 by a very thin portion or portions of material (which may have, for example, circumferentially spaced-apart notches or a scored groove or a molded groove (not shown)). If the user attempts to unscrew the closure body 30 with a sufficient amount of torque, then the interconnecting, thin portion of material will break, and the tamper-evident band 100 will separate from the bottom of the closure body skirt 90. This will serve as an indication that the closure body 30 has been unscrewed, at least partially, from the fully assembled configuration.

The use of a tamper-evident ring or band 100 is an entirely optional feature of the illustrated embodiment, and it does not form a necessary part of the present invention. Indeed, if the closure body 30 is non-releasably attached to the container neck 26 (as with adhesive, thermal bonding, irreversible snap-fit configurations, etc.), then the tamper-evident ring 100 would provide no additional benefit. Similarly, a tamper-evident ring 100 would provide no additional benefit if the closure body 30 is formed as a unitary molded extension of the container neck 26.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lid 40 includes a top wall 122 and a skirt 124. The front of the lid 40 has an indentation or recess 126 in the skirt 124. A thumb lift tab 128 projects outwardly from the top portion of the lid 40 over the recess 126. As can be seen in FIG. 9, the skirt 124 has a flat wall section 125 at the rear of the lid 40. Projecting outwardly from the flat wall section 125 is a pair of rearwardly extending lugs 130. A shaft 132 extends between, and connects, the lugs 130 at a location where the shaft 132 is spaced from the lid skirt flat wall section 125. The shaft 132 has a centrally located, outwardly projecting ridge or bead 133.

After the closure body 30 has been made (as by molding it from thermoplastic material) with the laterally extending flap 88, the closure body 30 may be characterized as an intermediate article of manufacture or preform. Subsequently, the lid 40 can be mounted to the closure body 30 in a way that accommodates the pivoting movement of the lid 40 between the open and closed positions. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the lid 40 is initially mounted in a closed position on the body 30 so that the lid shaft 132 is received within the upwardly open channel 82 defined at the rear of the closure body 30. Subsequently, the flap 88 is pivoted or folded over the shaft 132 and attached to the laterally inner wall 80B to form a retention bridge 135 (FIGS. 2 and 4).

The shaft 132 has a width dimension or diameter that is greater than the opening 84 between the upper, distal ends of the walls 80 which define the sides of the channel 82. This provides a snap-fit engagement that holds the lid shaft 132 on a fixed axis relative to the closure body 30 so as to accommodate pivoting movement of the lid 40 relative to the closure body 30 between the full closed position (FIG. 1) and the full open position (FIG. 2). The shaft ridge or bead 133 (FIG. 4) is received in the groove 86 (FIGS. 4 and 6) at the bottom of the channel 82 when the lid 40 is fully opened (FIG. 2) to provide a detent engagement that increases the resistance to rotation of the lid 40 away from the open position.

Although the above-described snap-fit engagement of the lid shaft 132 within the channel 82 functions well in many applications, in some applications it would be desirable to have a structure that even more strongly retains the lid hinge shaft 132 on the closure body 30, and that prevents removal of the lid hinge shaft 132 from the body channel 82. To this end, the bridge 135 (FIG. 4) (which is formed by pivoting (i.e., folding) and securing the flap 88) functions as a positive retention system preventing withdrawal of the hinge shaft 132 from the channel 82.

The flap 88 preferably is pivoted from the as-molded, horizontal orientation (FIG. 7A) to a position extending over the channel 82 by a suitable operation applying force to the flap 88. Heat may also be applied to facilitate the process, and ultrasonic welding is a presently preferred method for attaching the flap 88 to surface 84 of the inner wall 80B. When an ultrasonic process is used, the flap 88 can be pivoted and folded over the lid shaft 132 in the channel 82 and then attached to the top surface 85 of the laterally inner wall 80B by forcing the flap 88 against the energy director 86. The energy director 87 softens, deforms, and flattens as the ultrasonic weld is effected. Softened or melted portions of the flap 88 and wall top surface 85 fuse and re-solidify after the termination of the application of the ultrasonic energy. This effects a welding of the thermoplastic material.

The preferred material of the closure body 30, including the flap 88, is a thermoplastic material such as polyethylene, and such a material accommodates ultrasonic welding of the flap 88 to the wall 80B to form the desired, final shape of the bridge 135 that bridges the lid shaft 132 in the channel 82. Other materials could be used.

Conventional or special tools or equipment may be employed for effecting ultrasonic welding of the flap 88 to the wall 80B. The details of the particular process, and the details of tools or equipment used, form no part of the present invention. Equipment operating energy, time, force, etc., depend, of course, on the size and mass of the particular flap 88 as designed, as well as upon the type of thermoplastic material.

The flap 88 could be attached to the wall 80B by means other than ultrasonic welding. For example, the distal end portion of the folded over flap 88 could be bonded to the top surface 85 of the wall 80B with adhesive or by forming a weld from melting one or both of the confronting surfaces with a hot knife or plate. Also, a mechanical snap-fit attachment structure could be provided (e.g., a snap-fit groove in the flap 88 or wall top surface 85, and a mating snap-fit projection in the wall top surface 85 or flap 88, respectively).

As can be seen in FIG. 12, the lid 40 preferably includes a plug or spud 140 projecting downwardly from the underside of the lid top wall 122. An annular sealing member 142 projects from the underside of the lid 40 around the spud 140. The member 142 has a radially inwardly projecting sealing bead 144. As shown in FIG. 4, the spud 140 is adapted to be received within the dispensing orifice 44 of the spout 42. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4, the dispensing orifice 44 is a substantially cylindrical orifice, and the exterior of the lid plug or spud 140 has a generally cylindrical surface. The diameter of the exterior surface of the lid spud 140 is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the body dispensing orifice 44. This provides an interference fit to effect good sealing engagement. Either the spud 140 or the spout 42, or both, have sufficient flexibility to accommodate such an interference fit providing leak-tight sealing capability. The lid sealing member 142 and its bead 144 are optional features that may be included so that the bead can sealingly engage the upper, exterior surface of the spout 42. The spud 140 is also an optional feature. The closure 20 could alternatively be provided with just the spud 140 alone, or the lid member 142 alone, or both the spud 140 and lid member 142 (as in the illustrated, preferred embodiment).

Although not part of the present invention per se, an optional tamper-evident feature may be provided for indicating that the lid 40 has been initially moved away from the fully closed configuration (FIG. 1) toward the fully opened position (FIG. 2). The tamper-evident feature involves cooperation between the lid 40 and closure body 30. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 7, and 9, the tamper-evident feature includes at least one anchor member 152 which is initially connected to the lid 40 with one or more frangible members or webs 160. The combination of the lid 40, webs 160, and anchor members 152 may be characterized as a top structure for being initially mounted on, and attached to, the closure body 30.

There are two anchor members 152—one provided on each side of the lid 40 along the bottom edge of the lid 40, but spaced a distance Y (FIGS. 14-16) below the lid skirt bottom edge. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, there are a plurality of frangible webs 160 in the form of spaced-apart bridges extending between each anchor member 152 and the lid skirt 124.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, each anchor member 152 includes a generally vertically inner surface 153 (FIGS. 12 and 13) that faces radially inwardly and that is connected to the lower portion of each frangible web 160. The webs 160 are initially molded simultaneously with, and as part of the unitary top structure that includes, the lid 40 and anchor members 152. Each anchor member 152 is a generally arcuate bar. In other contemplated embodiments (not illustrated), each anchor member need not be an arcuate bar. Each anchor member 152 includes an attaching portion 162 (FIGS. 13 and 14) which, in the illustrated preferred embodiment, is defined by the underside or bottom surface of the member 152. Preferably, the attaching portion 162 is initially molded as the bottom surface of the anchor member 152 and also includes a downwardly projecting protuberance 164 that has a triangular transverse cross section for facilitating the thermoplastic welding attachment of the anchor member 152 to the closure body attachment surface 54 as described in detail hereinafter.

In the presently contemplated, preferred form of the optional tamper-evident feature, the manufacturer can readily mold the lid 40, webs 160, and anchor members 152 (with the protuberances 164) together as a single, unitary component (i.e., the “top structure”), and the manufacturer can separately mold the closure body 30 as another, separate component. The top structure and body 30 may be molded from the same thermoplastic material or from different thermoplastic materials. The lid 40, webs 160, anchor members 152, and body 30 may have the same color and texture or may have different colors and/or textures.

After separately molding the closure body 30 and the top structure (i.e., the lid 40, webs 160, and anchor members 152 with protuberances 164), the two components are assembled by mounting the lid 40 on the closure body 30 so that the lid hinge shaft 132 is received in a snap-fit engagement within the closure body receiving channel 82. The lid 40 is initially closed on the closure body 30 as shown in FIG. 5. In the initially closed position of the lid 40, each anchor member 152 is disposed above the closure body lower deck 54 which defines the upwardly facing attachment surface. The lower, pointed edge of the anchor member attaching portion protuberance 164 rests on the closure body attachment surface (i.e., the upwardly facing surface of the closure body lower deck 54). The closure manufacturer can then (1) deform the upstanding deformable walls 87 (FIG. 7) over the lid shaft 132 as previously described, and (2) weld the anchor members 152 to the deck 54.

A presently preferred method for welding the optional tamper-evident anchor members 152 to the closure body lower deck 54 employs thermoplastic welding, and preferably thermoplastic welding as effected with ultrasonic energy. The triangular cross section protuberance 164 on the attachment portion 162 at the bottom of each anchor member 152 functions as an energy director for the ultrasonic energy. The ultrasonic, energy can be applied with commercial ultrasonic welding equipment which may be of any suitable conventional or special design. Such ultrasonic welding equipment typically includes a suitable horn or engaging member for engaging the outwardly facing, exterior portions of the anchor members 152 and for applying a force against the anchor members 152 in a direction tending to urge the anchor members 152 downwardly toward the closure body lower deck attachment surface 54 at the same time that the ultrasonic equipment transfers ultrasonic energy into and through the anchor members 152. The same equipment could also include, but need not include, suitable engaging members for ultrasonically welding the flap 88 (FIGS. 6 and 7) over the lid pivot shaft 132 to form the bridge 135 (FIG. 2) at substantially the same time that the members 152 are welded to the closure body deck 54. The equipment operating energy, time, force, etc. depend, of course, on the size and mass of the closure top structure components that are to be welded as well as upon the type of thermoplastic material. The detailed design and operation of such ultrasonic welding equipment form no part of the present invention.

In one presently preferred embodiment of the optional tamper-evident feature, the ultrasonic welding of the anchor members 152 to the closure body lower deck 54 is facilitated by providing the deck 54 with a textured surface. One such suitable textured surface can be provided by conventional etching of the relevant region of the mold steel through a conventional texture mask or plaque. In a preferred embodiment of the closure molded from polypropylene, the surface of the mold at the attachment surface 54 is AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute) type 420 stainless steel with a hardness of 54-64 Rockwell c that has been (1) ferric chloride acid attached to a depth of 0.052 mm. through a plaque or mask designated MT 11050 as sold by Mold Tech (having an office at 279 East Lies Road, Carol Stream, Ill. 60188, U.S.A.), and (2) bead blasted to remove ash residue.

During the welding of the anchor members 152 to the closure body deck 54, the energy director protuberances 164 (which may have a projection of about 0.55 mm. in a presently preferred embodiment) become softened and/or melted along with adjacent portions of the closure body deck 54. The softened or melted protuberances 164 and the softened or melted portions of the closure body deck 54, along with any softened or melted portions of the anchor member 152 adjacent the protuberances 164) fuse and re-solidify after termination of the application of the ultrasonic energy. This effects a welding of the thermoplastic material (as schematically designated by reference number 168 in FIG. 3).

With reference to FIG. 14, it can be seen that the frangible webs 160 extend downwardly for a distance Y below the bottom edge of the closure lid skirt 124 where the webs 160 adjoin the inner top edge of the anchor member 152. The frangible web 160 spans the gap Y between the top of the anchor member 152 and the bottom edge of the closure lid skirt 124.

When the user wishes to open the closure 20, the user applies a generally upwardly directed force to the closure lid thumb lift 128 (FIGS. 1 and 14). The application of a sufficiently large force will case the frangible webs 160 to break or rupture as illustrated in FIG. 2.

Before the lid 40 is lifted for the first time to break the frangible webs 160, the frangible webs 160 provide an indication that the lid 40 has not yet been opened. The user can readily see that the frangible web 160 are not ruptured because the frangible webs 160 span a relatively large gap having the height Y as shown in FIG. 14. The gap Y between the bottom edge of the lid skirt 124 and the top of the anchor member 152 provides a good background, field of view, or visual environment in which to readily ascertain that the frangible webs 160 are not broken (or are broken).

It will be appreciated that the optional, lid tamper-evident feature (comprising, inter alia, the anchor members 152 and frangible webs 160) may be omitted altogether if tamper-evidency is not desired. Alternatively, a completely different tamper-evident system could be employed for the lid.

When the closure 20 is in the full open condition as shown in FIG. 2, the user can tip or invert the package to facilitate the dispensing of fluent product under the influence of gravity. If the container 22 has a flexible wall or walls, the container 22 can be squeezed to further assist in dispensing the product. After the desired amount of product has been dispensed, the package can be turned back to its upright orientation, and the user can close the lid 40. If the package is designed for “inverted” storage (such as if the closure includes a flexible, pressure-actuatable, self-sealing dispensing valve), then the package may be left inverted at all times.

It will also be appreciated that the closure system of the present invention need not be provided as a separate closure for a container. The closure body 30 could instead be molded as a unitary part of the container 22. A container could be molded to have (1) an initially open bottom end, (2) a peripheral wall forming an upper end that defines a container top end opening, and (3) a unitary closure body portion extending radially inwardly from the container peripheral wall over the container top end opening so as to form a unitary part of the container top end and so as to define a unitary, top end closure body, including the spout 42 (and optionally including a hinge and lid, if the body, hinge, and lid are to be part of a single, unitary structure). Then, the container could be filled with product through the open bottom end, and the open bottom end could be subsequently sealed closed by appropriate means, such as with thermally assisted deformation or with a separate bottom closure plug or bottom cap.

It will also be appreciated that the closure system of the present invention may include other components, elements, or features. For example, the closure body 30 (FIG. 3) could include an internal valve system. The valve could be, for example, a pressure-actuated, flexible, resilient slit valve. Such a valve has the configuration and operating characteristics of a commercially available valve design substantially as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,289 with reference to the valve 46 disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,289. The operation of such a type of valve is further described with reference to the similar valve that is designated by reference number 3d in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,144. The embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 herein could accommodate such a valve within the closure body spout 42 under the dispensing orifice 44 and within, or in place of, the baffle structure 45. Such a valve could be held in place with a suitable retainer ring in snap-fit engagement with the closure body. Alternatively, such a valve could be secured with other means, such as bi-injection molding, insert molding, adhesive securement, crimping, swagging, or the like.

It will also be appreciated that beyond the region of the lid hinge shaft 132 and shaft retention structure in the body 30, the lid 40 and body 30 may have configurations and features other than those illustrated herein for the preferred embodiment. It will also be appreciated that the shapes of lid hinge pivot shaft 132, receiving channel 82, and flap 88 need not be exactly as shown for the illustrated preferred embodiment.

The novel lid hinge shaft retention system of the present invention, which includes one or more flaps (e.g., flap 88 in FIG. 7), can be readily molded from thermoplastic material. The shape of the flap 88 allows the flap 88 to be more easily molded in the line of draw of the mold parts.

After pivoting the flap 88 and welding (or otherwise attaching) it to the top of the inner wall 80B to create the bridge 135 (FIG. 2), the bridge 135 provides an enhanced, secure retention of the lid pivot shaft 132 in either the open or closed position.

Of course, in an alternate embodiment (not illustrated), the flap 88 could be hinged to the inner wall 80B, and then folded over and attached to the top of the other wall 80A. Also, two or more separate flaps could be used, if desired.

It will be readily apparent from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and from the illustrations thereof that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of this invention. 

1. A closure system for a container that has an opening to the container interior, said closure system consisting of unassembled components comprising: a body that is either a separate structure for attaching to, and extending from, said container at said opening or is a unitary extension of said container at said opening, said body having (1) at least one orifice for communicating with said container opening, (2) a bearing member comprising a laterally outer wall spaced from a laterally inner wall which together define between them a channel, and (3) at least one flap hingedly attached to, and extending from, one of said laterally inner and outer walls to expose said channel which can be covered by folding said flap over said channel and against the other of said laterally inner and outer walls; and a lid adapted to be disposed on said body for accommodating lifting of said lid relative to said at least one orifice between (1) a closed position over said at least one orifice, and (2) an open position away from said at least one orifice, said lid including a pivot shaft for being received in said channel prior to said flap being folded over said channel and attached to said other of said laterally inner and outer walls to prevent removal of said shaft from said channel.
 2. The closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which said closure body is molded from thermoplastic material with said at least one flap extending laterally from said laterally outer wall.
 3. The closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which said closure system is a closure for an end of said container wherein the container end defines said container opening; and said closure includes said body and said lid.
 4. The closure system in accordance with claim 3 in which said closure is an article that is separate from said container; and said body is attachable to said container end over said container opening.
 5. The closure system in accordance with claim 3 in which said closure body is adapted to be mounted to said container on a peripheral wall that defines said container opening, and said closure body has an upwardly projecting spout that extends above said container opening to define said at least one orifice.
 6. The closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which said body includes a hinge that hingedly attaches said at least one flap to said one of said laterally inner and outer walls; and said hinge is defined by a reduced thickness of material between said at least one flap and said one of said laterally inner and outer walls.
 7. The closure in accordance with claim 1 in which the other of said laterally inner and outer walls defines a top surface and an energy director projecting upwardly from said top surface; and said energy director has a tapering cross section that becomes narrower with increasing distance from said top surface.
 8. A closure system for a container that has an opening to the container interior, said closure system consisting of unassembled components comprising: a body that is either a separate structure for attaching to, and extending from, said container at said opening or is a unitary extension of said container at said opening, said body having (1) at least one orifice for communicating with said container opening, (2) a bearing member comprising a laterally outer wall spaced from a laterally inner wall which together define between them a channel, and (3) at least one flap that (a) extends from one of said laterally inner and outer walls, (b) has been folded over said channel and against the other of said laterally inner and outer walls, and (c) has been attached to the other of said laterally inner and outer walls; and a lid disposed on said body for accommodating lifting of said lid relative to said at least one orifice between (1) a closed position over said at least one orifice, and (2) an open position away from said at least one orifice, said lid including a pivot shaft received in said channel under said folded over flap that is attached to said other of said laterally inner and outer walls to prevent removal of said shaft from said channel.
 9. The closure system in accordance with claim 8 in which said closure system is a closure for an end of said container wherein the container end defines said container opening; and said closure includes said body and said lid.
 10. The closure system in accordance with claim 9 in which said closure is an article that is separate from said container; and said body is attachable to said container end over said container opening.
 11. The closure system in accordance with claim 9 in which said closure body is adapted to be mounted to said container on a peripheral wall that defines said container opening, and said closure body has an upwardly projecting spout that extends above said container opening to define said at least one orifice.
 12. The closure system in accordance with claim 9 in which said flap is a unitary extension of said one of said laterally inner and outer walls.
 13. A method for making a closure system for a container that has an opening to the container interior, said method comprising the steps of: (A) molding from thermoplastic material a body that (1) is that is either a separate structure for attaching to, and extending from, said container at said opening or is a unitary extension of said container at said opening, (2) has at least one orifice for communicating with said container opening, (3) has a bearing member comprising a laterally outer wall spaced from a laterally inner wall which together define between them a channel, and (4) has at least one flap hingedly attached to, and extending from, one of said laterally inner and outer walls to expose said channel which can be covered by folding said flap over said channel and against the other of said laterally inner and outer walls; (B) molding from thermoplastic material a lid which (1) has a pivot shaft, and (2) is adapted to be disposed on said body for accommodating lifting of said lid relative to said at least one orifice between (a) a closed position over said at least one orifice, and (b) an open position away from said at least one orifice; (C) mounting said lid on said body in said closed position with said pivot shaft disposed in said channel; and (D) folding said flap over said channel and attaching it to said other of said laterally inner and outer walls to prevent removal of said shaft from said channel.
 14. The method in accordance with claim 13 in which step (A) includes molding said body to have one flap extending from said laterally outer wall in a generally horizontal configuration; and step (D) includes utrasonically welding an end of said flap to the top of said laterally inner wall to define a continuous bridge over said pivot shaft. 